'A miracle': Crash survivors

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Oloan Harahap expressed his profound thanks to God because he survived the Mandala aircraft crash in Medan, North Sumatra, on Monday, which killed some 104 passengers and crew, saying that it was a miracle that he was still alive.

He was among the 13 passengers who survived the worst airplane crash in the country in recent years.

Lying down and motionless on his bed at the Sarah General Hospital, Oloan, who suffered serious injuries to his head and back, said he could not understand why he survived the accident since all those seated on his right and left were killed.

"It's really a miracle. God is giving me another chance to live," he told The Jakarta Post when asked about the accident.

He said like other passengers, he panicked when it became apparent that the aircraft could not take off, before hitting the roof of a house then crashing into a street.

"The aircraft's body was divided into two parts and I found myself thrown outside when I was trying to get my notebook computer. This happened just seconds before the aircraft exploded and caught fire," said Oloan, a 45-year-old father of three children.

Oloan, a senior employee at the North Sumatra Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), was accompanying North Sumatra Governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin and two regional representatives Radja Inal Siregar and Abdul Halim Harahap to Jakarta for official meetings, including with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The Governor and legislators were killed.

Oloan said the notebook computer was too valuable to be left behind under his seat because it contained information that was to be presented to the President.

"But, if I forced myself to reach over and get the notebook computer I could have been killed in the explosion," he said, saying he was saved by residents just seconds before the explosion.

Rohan Sitepu, a Jakarta resident who also survived the crash, said he initially thought he had died, but then found himself in the middle of the broken plane.

"After finding myself alive, I walked away with the help of residents," said Rohan, who suffered only minor injuries to his face.

Rohan was rushed to Gleneagles Hospital.

Among the survivors, only Rohan suffered minor injuries. Other survivors were waiting for surgery for leg and hand fractures at the Pirngadi and Adam Malik General Hospitals.